history

Shakti was founded by Jamshyd Sethna, whose love of the mountains began during his schooldays in Darjeeling and thereafter as a young tea planter in Upper Assam. A Parsi from Bombay, Jamshyd is one of India’s leading travel professionals and his travel experiences, love of food and art, combined with a passion for the Himalaya, is the creative force behind the foundation and evolution of Shakti.

Having worked in India’s luxury travel business for over two decades, he saw an increasing number of sophisticated travelers seeking something beyond five-star luxury and great monuments – something simpler, which would take them off the well-trodden paths- closer to India’s landscape, her people and their living cultures.

Shakti was conceived to share the rejuvenating effects of remote surroundings – to provide privileged access to places far removed from the noise and clutter of the modern world, where space, peace and epic landscapes provoke the imagination and nourish the soul. In these places of intense beauty and their deep, soothing serenity the traveler can slow down for a while and simply “be”.

The first Shakti Village Walk was developed in the Kumaoni foothills of the western Himalaya in 2004.

A year later Shakti secured the lease on a parcel of land set on a spectacular ridge at an altitude of 7000 feet and a luxurious tented camp was created, which stood for a year for the duration of the design and building of the permanent structure- Shakti 360° Leti- which opened in 2007.

Meanwhile, in 2006 a second Village Walk was developed in Sikkim, giving travelers the opportunity to experience the beautiful landscapes and Buddhist culture of the eastern Himalaya.

The most recent venture opened in Ladakh in August 2008. Shakti introduced three new village houses in Ladakh in 2011, increasing the total to six. Two of these houses are over 200 years old and an exciting addition to our existing portfolio.

There are more such ventures in the pipeline, which shall be announced soon!!!